Gillmor’s will offer free dinner

LINCOLN, Maine — In what has become a tradition over the last four years, Gillmor’s Restaurant will serve free Thanksgiving Day meals to anyone who needs them from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.

“It’s open to anybody,” head chef Cole Averill said Wednesday. “We don’t care if you’re low-income, no-income or the richest person in town. We like to do this because we think it draws the community together. We have been doing this for four years and we have no plans to stop.”

The West Broadway restaurant expects more than 200 meals to be served. More than 30 residents already have called seeking pick-up meals or deliveries, Averill said. Anyone interested in getting a meal delivered, picking one up or being served at the restaurant can call 794-6565.

The meal, Town Manager Lisa Goodwin said, is especially helpful to residents who are elderly, spending the holiday alone or in need.

Done entirely by about 30 volunteers, including a dozen restaurant employees who work for free, food preparation and service takes up most of Thanksgiving Day. Deliveries go throughout Lincoln and into nearby towns such as Lee and Mattawamkeag.

The meals come from donations of food and money made by Cysco Food Service, Dennis Paper and Food Service, Garelick Farms, Pepsi Co., Steaks ‘N Stuff off Main Street and the Hannaford Supermarket on West Broadway, as well as the volunteers, Averill said.

“It’s all cooked here, by us, from scratch,” Averill said. “We stay up all night doing it so it is not sitting here for a few days. We try to make it as special as possible for everybody.”